The Powerball jackpot is approaching $500 million, but there’s another lottery worth checking out this month. That’s the one over at the Grand Canyon, as it’s time for the annual entry period to score a chance for a non-commercial river trip.

Winners won’t be heading out on the Colorado River until 2016, but with only 472 permits available for 12 to 25 day river trips during next year, this could be a big win for an outdoor enthusiast. For those looking to put names and information in the hat for a chance to win note that applications are accepted between now and noon on February 24.

Those credit card bills from the holidays are going to be here sooner than later, so it’s time to take advantage of some travel freebies. Just as in years past Uncle Sam is giving away access to a slice of his backyard, as there are a bunch of free admission days to national parks across the nifty fifty during 2015.

The government will get you back around Tax Day, but for now look forward to the following free admission days:

The Opera House, Harbour Bridge, the ferry to Manly…every tourist to Sydney, Australia knows where to go, but Sydney happens to be home to the largest natural harbour in the world. It’s in and amongst those large sites you’ll find the smaller secrets, and we’re sharing a few of our favorites all this week.

It’s pretty, as a garden island covered in palm trees, fresh-cut grass, wild tropical blooms would be, but it’s Shark Island’s location and serenity that truly makes this patch of only 3.7 acres something special in Sydney. By the way...there are no sharks; the island is so named due it's shape.

Shark Island has no buildings other than an open-air, Queen Anne-style picnic pavilion at its highest point and a few other scattered picnic alcoves. This betrays Shark Island’s chief activity; there’s nothing much else to do than lay on the beach or gaze out to the sailboat traffic of nearby Rose Bay.

You best review those freebie days for your national park visit once 2015 rolls around, as it looks like Uncle Sam and friends might be raising admission prices.

Nothing is set in stone as of yet, but the National Park Service is kicking around the idea of increasing admission costs. This would be the first time in eight years or so in which they have done something like this, so we can only assume it’s not something they decide quickly. The proposals for fee increases are due early next year, so it’ll be at least around spring before we hear anything official.

It’s never to early to start thinking about 2015, as there are trips to plan, tickets to book, and vacation days to take. That’s why we wanted to pass along the free offerings from the National Park Service, as once again they are offering up free entrance to plenty of parks across the country for several key dates.

Gone are your dreams of scenic instagram images during that awesome summer road trip, as it looks like there’s some new rules heading to the national parks across the nifty fifty.

Late last week the National Park Service announced that drones, unmanned aircraft, or whatever you want to call them will be banned in all areas controlled by the park service. That means no taking-off, flying, hovering, or another drone-y activities while in or around national park lands and waters. All in all the rules and regulations affect around 84 million acres of prime real estate across the country.

With the calendar now on June and nighttime temperatures becoming more consistent, camping season is upon us across most of the country. Things are moving a bit slower in Colorado, though, as the snow-filled winter has translated into a wet, spring runoff that has left campsites and surrounding trails soggy.

But that doesn't mean we can't have a good adventure while we wait for things to dry out. In this travel snapshot, we feature Great Sand Dunes National Park, located four hours south of Denver. When things have the potential to be wet and sloppy during the spring or late fall, seek refuge amongst the gigantic sand dunes, where it is sure to be warm and dry.

Sharing on social media straight from the great outdoors is about to get that much easier, as Canada has big plans for some connectivity across their national parks.

Canada Parks is the group behind the new idea, as they’re responsible for keeping the signs looking good and taking out the tourist trash across almost 50 national parks and even more historic sites. Now they’re taking steps to improve the outdoor experience—at least in theory—as they’ll be installing WiFi hotspots across plenty of destinations.

National Park Week is upon us, which, on a grand scale, is a time to reflect on what an incredible job our country does at preserving its natural landscape. We are the world leader in this effort, especially when you consider the size of our country and how many cooks we have in the kitchen as compared to other nations.

Although vast open space is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of a National Park, the sites actually come in all shapes and sizes, and include monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and even the White House (President’s Park). And as you’ll see, some are even found in cities and take up less space than an apartment building. In total, the parks cover 84 million acres in all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Disneynature is promising moviegoers will be on cute overload as Bears hit the big screen this last weekend.

The live action movie follows a year in the life of two young cubs as they are "are taught life’s most important lessons."

Disneynature's Bears was filmed in several national parks throughout the Alaska Peninsula. To honor the bears' habitat and celebrate Earth Day, Disneynature will make a contribution to the National Park Foundation for every ticket sold during the movie's opening week, April 18-24.

This year, Yosemite in California celebrates its 150th birthday, dedicating the entire year to its past, present, and future as a leader amongst national parks in the States.

It was the first time the Federal Government ever set aside a piece of land for preservation when Abraham Lincoln created the Yosemite Grant in 1864. Specifically, the grant protected Yosemite Valley, seen above from the classic "tunnel view" lookout, and Mariposa Grove, which harbors the huge sequoia trees found in southern part of the park (we'll take a closer look later this week).

It’s a new year and that means an entire set of new freebies when it comes to visiting national parks in and around the United States. Uncle Sam is once again throwing open the gates on certain days during 2014, so now’s the time to start planning on when to skip out of work.

The government usually just doesn’t give stuff away, so when they do it’s a good idea to take advantage of it. This year there are nine days in which you can leave the admission fee back at your house, and the very first of them is just about a week away. Things start on January 20, as Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the first free one of the year.